Further Resources

Basic Networking Resources

Novices to the network world should check out the educational animated movie at the Warriors of the Net site. The Computer Networking section of WebJunction has many resources dedicated to understanding computer networks in libraries.

If you’re interested in TCP/IP, the Learn Networking site has an introduction, and they also have a tutorial about subnetting. You can calculate subnets by hand, but a lot of administrators just use a calculator. Microsoft also has some information about IP addressing. If you need to do some basic connection troubleshooting, TCP/IP Troubleshooting at the Microsoft site will teach you to use some basic tools such as ping and ipconfig.

For definitions of basic networking equipment, see Network Gear at About.com or search for individual terms (e.g., switch, router, firewall) at Webopedia and Wikipedia.

The FCC’s article, What is Broadband? defines broadband and discusses its importance and the different types. Our article on Internet Access and ISPs also has information on this subject.

Basic Security Information

The SANS Institute creates an annual list of the Top 20 Security Risks. While this list may go beyond the scope of the small to medium-sized library, it represents the most accurate compilation of malicious activity on the Internet. Microsoft’s Security Guide for Small Business provides an excellent overview of establishing a secure network.

Network Diagramming Software

Microsoft Visio is often used for network diagrams, and libraries can buy it at a discount from TechSoup. Gliffy is an easy-to-use online program with a free and a paid version. Dia and Networknotepad are two free, open-source diagramming programs. Also, most network monitoring programs can automatically create a map of your local area network and/or your wide area network.

Vulnerability Scanning Tools:Nmap is another popular, free tool which scans your network and looks for vulnerabilities. By default it runs from the command line, but you can also find several free graphical interfaces (e.g., Zenmap for Linux and NmapView for Windows). For a short beginner’s guide, see Nmap for Beginners. For a thorough run-down, see Secrets of Network Cartography. Also check out this list of Top 10 Vulnerability Scanners as voted on by security experts. Most of the tools on this list are commercial, and some are quite expensive.

Selecting a Firewall

Search Security’s Firewall Architecture Tutorial tells you how to choose firewalls and where to place them on your network. Windows Networking also has an article on Choosing a Firewall. It’s a few years old now but still has relevant advice. A Guide to Unified Threat Management
has advice on researching and testing these devices. A Unified Threat
Management (UTM) system is a hardware appliance that has firewall
capabilities as well other security features (e.g. spam filtering,
antivirus filtering, and intrusion detection functionality). Network
World’s Firewall Buyer’s Guide
is a good resource for comparing specifications, but since it relies on
manufacturers to submit information, there are currently no Cisco
products listed.

Bandwidth Management

For advice from the library community, see this thread on Bandwidth Limiting (aka traffic shaping) at WebJunction.

The QoS article on the Gentoo Wiki server tells you how to build your own packet shaper using open-source software, but it also explains the concepts that underlie packet shaping and Quality of Service.